


Hey there, Stranger

by Sargentpepper23



Series: Trapped, but along for the ride [15]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Betrayal?, F/M, How two women kick ass and take names, Humor, Kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:34:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26958892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sargentpepper23/pseuds/Sargentpepper23
Summary: "What the fuck are you doing here and how were you captured”?"Uhhhhh--""Forget it.  If you’re here, that means the rest of your crew is nearby, and now my rescue plan is totally fucked up.  Guess I’ll have to go kick Dick and Dickwad’s asses now.”Or, in other news...Kid’s mutilating people again, Ever's taken prisoner alongside a boss-ass bitch, and vomiting becomes a national sport.
Relationships: Killer (One Piece)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Trapped, but along for the ride [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1443649
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	Hey there, Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the shit show, folks! 
> 
> I've been wanting to post a chapter like this for a while, but I told myself not to until I wrote Ever and Killer's smut chapter. At least, that was the plan until my laptop crapped out and deleted all 7,000 plus words of smutty goodness... wtf. So, before I commit to that monster again, here's some self-indulgent character introductions (and re-introductions) to tide y'all over. Hope you enjoy!

The Dumbasses were lost in a haunted apple orchard, and it’s all Luther’s fault. 

“Pretty sure we’ve seen that tree before,” Ed muttered beside Ever.

The woman shot him an incredulous look. The grove is blanketed in thick fog, and aside from the crooked sign she spotted fifteen minutes back, she had yet to see a single marker on the trees. How Ed can tell them apart is beyond her, and probably him as well. He’s definitely blowing air out his ass like usual. 

Apparently, Luther thought so as well. 

“I going to rip your fucking balls off if you say that one more time.”

Ed's jaw shut with a _click_ , and the others schooled their amused grins into looks of innocence when their glorious leader turned to glare at them. “Anything else from the peanut gallery,” he snarled.

They shook their heads, and Johnny bravely waved him forward. “We trust you,” which they absolutely did not. “Lead the way,” which Luther should have no business doing because he still refused to look at the damn map.

“That’s what I thought,” Luther snapped, and turned around to march into a new line of trees. The group of six shared an exasperated look but followed him anyway. They didn’t dare lose sight of one another in the thick fog, not with the chance of the local crime syndicate patrolling nearby. 

Ok, local is putting it mildly. The Fangs are a multi-island organization with their fingers in multiple pies, including, but not limited to, drugs, weapons, mercenary work, and human and sex trafficking. They are not to be taken lightly.

So, the question remains. _Why_ is Kid dead set on blasting into their home base and mutilating them?

Easy, one of their low-level gunrunners had the balls to tag the Punk’s side with the words, “I suck dick,” and left their gaudy symbol behind as a calling card. 

And that's what had led the crew to this dumpster fire of an island. Seriously, when they had docked out of sight under the towering cliffs, per Killer’s suggestion, there was a dumpster, on fire, above them. Upon further inspection, and much to the disagreement of Ever’s nose and stomach, someone had taken the opportunity to torch multiple bodies inside of it. She tried not to think about it much, mostly because one of the bodies, smaller than the others, clung to the corpse next to it.

Though Ever would never forget the ragged, stuffed bunny tossed to the side, its fur lathered in mud kicked up from dragged heels. 

Leaving behind that tragic scene, the crew did a thorough scout of the area and concocted a plan. Kid and the others would bust into the natural, stone fortress from the front, while the Dumbasses covered the caves in the back, ensuring nobody made it out. The plan was simple, but covering the caves was going to be tricky. The natural system runs underneath the entire island, and from what the crew gathered from the half-dead drug dealer Wire had tortured last week, the network is quite extensive and makes it easy for people to sneak out of tight situations.

Seeing as things were definitely about to go south for the Fangs, Kid was taking no chances of someone slipping through the cracks. Unsurprisingly, he has a strict, 'no survivors' policy, and Ever is A-Ok with that as long as she gets to punch a sex-trafficker in the face. Or kick him in the balls, whichever's more appealing at the time. 

Smiling to herself at the imagined face of some asshole getting his balls kicked in, Ryder pulled Ever from her thoughts when he slid in on her other side. “On a scale of 1 to Roronoa, how lost are we”?

Ever studied her surroundings with a huff of amusement. Was the fog heavier? Had the wide, gnarled trunks and low hanging branches always creaked in the soft wind like that? _This place is fucking creepy._

"Hmmm, we're probably hovering around a high 8."

Ryder clicked his tongue, “This is so fucking stupid. I should be the one leading us, not him! At least I’m man enough to admit when I’m lost, and look at a damn map—“

_SNAP!_

The group stood back to back with one another, weapons raised and eyes scanning the area. Something else was here.

Ever nearly shit herself when Ed’s clammy fingers touched her wrist. “What was that,” he squeaked, yet his revolver remained steady in his other hand. 

Another snap rent the air, and a rabbit of all fucking enemies hopped out from the gloom. 

The group sighed and holstered their weapons. Luther, backed up near a short looking tree, kicked a fallen apple at the tiny creature. “Damn rabbit,” he said to no one in particular. 

“Right, that thing scared the shit out of me.”

Luther grinned, "Yeah, it did," he said, before pausing. That voice, it wasn't one of them.

The Dumbasses pulled their weapons again. Dez, the exception, slapped a hand over Ed’s mouth and hauled him up into a barrel hug before the coward did something stupid, like give away their location with a screech.

Ever clutched her dagger as she searched the fog. She is by no means an expert knife-wielder, but if someone other than her friends appeared, the two months' worth of practice she had with Ralph and Killer had to be useful, maybe. 

Something rustled, and Luther silently signaled for the group to converge in on a tree. They did as he ordered and moved through the grove, avoiding the dry leaves and branches littering the ground. 

Something else snapped close by, and this time, it wasn’t a rabbit. Ever palmed her knife, ready to strike, and Ryder slid in beside her, his sword raised as well. He was her backup, her partner in crime, her equally terrified spider killer when need be. He has her back just as much as she has his. They were ready to face whatever was out there, head-on.

However, both of them jumped when Luther and another man started _shrieking_ like little girls. 

The Dumbasses whipped around as the two scaredy-cats rounded on each other, their respective ax and saber raised, and both men frantically began shouting orders over one another. 

"Fuck! It's the navy," Luther bellowed, "Call the Captain," he finished with a massive swing of his ax.

“Commodore, the Kid Pirates are here,” the scout said into his snail, blocking Luther’s swing with a screech of his sword, “We’re in the apple orchard”!

The snail yelled something back, but Ever didn’t catch it, not when another navy scout leaped from the trees in an attempt to plunge a long-ass needle sword through Ryder’s back. 

“Look out,” she shouted, and pushed the scout off balance with a well-aimed shove, driving their thrust wide of Ryder. 

"Jesus Christ! Remind me I owe you a drink later,” Ryder called to her as he charged after the scout, ducking just in time to avoid the crack of a gunshot above him. 

Ever followed right behind him, only to turn tail and flee when a man larger than Dez thundered towards her, spiked club swinging. “WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS” she hollered, darting through the trees to escape from the oversized neanderthal behind her. 

"Stop running, you little shit— _OOF_ ”!

Ever flung herself behind a large trunk before Dez could tackle her to the ground as well, and took off in the opposite direction. She needed to figure out where that gunshot came from. That was something she could do.

There was another _crack_ and Ever switched directions, nearly sliding on the slippery leaves beneath her. She needed to get to them now. Stop them before they actually hit someone, or worse, kill—

Her arm was wrenched behind her, and before she could cry out, a cloth was shoved over nose and mouth, effectively smothering her. "Shhhh, pretty lady," a nasally voice whispered in her ear, "just take a nice, deep breath. It'll all be over soon."

Ever struggled against the wiry body behind her, tried to stab him with her dagger, but he plucked it from her weak fingers and lowered her to the ground as a black haze rushed over her. _Oh my god, he’s drugged me. HELP!!_

She managed a feeble croak before hitting the forest floor, out like a light.

~~

Ever woke to the sound of dripping water, the rhythmic _poing_ only intensifying the throbbing pulse of the headache wracking her brain. She cracked an eye open to tell Kid the kitchen faucet was leaking again, only to curl in on herself when lantern light was thrust in her face. “Look at you, pretty lady," a nasally voice drawled close to her ear, "Such pretty eyes, but it’s not quite time to meet the others, yet.”

That wasn’t Kid, and it certainly wasn’t anyone on the ship. Who the hell is talking to her, why is her nose tucked into someone’s nasty smelling hair, and why is she being carried… _HOLY FUCK!_

Everything came rushing back and Ever lolled her head to look around, only to moan and lean over just in time to vomit away from the blinding light next to her. "Jesus Christ, I told you we should stop using that shit," the body beneath her growled, lower than the other man's. 

"Later," said Nasal-voice, "We need to put her under again," and before Ever could wrap her brain around pulling away, a cloth was shoved in her face, and everything went black.

~~

The next time Ever woke, she turned to dry heave against the rocky wall she had been placed against. Her heartbeat pounded in time to the throbbing behind her eyes, and she heaved, again and again, barely registering the soothing touch of someone rubbing her back, murmuring encouragement under their breath. 

When her stomach cramped, and she heaved one final time, Ever remembered her predicament. She had been drugged, kidnapped, and imprisoned. The heavy manacle on her right hand shifted when the calming touch on her back pulled away. Someone must be shackled to her. 

Slowly leaning back so as not to upset her roiling stomach, Ever took in her surroundings. The lighting was low, but the moss crawling up the slick walls and ceiling glowed a soft green, illuminating several other women chained in pairs around the cavern. Across the way, two men sat huddled by a small lantern, digging into— _oh fuck, fish_ and Ever heaved at the smell. There was a clinking beside her, and once again, a hand rubbed her back as she choked into her lap. "Deep breaths. In and out," a voice whispered.

Following their advice, Ever eventually settled, and once she was sure she wasn’t going to vomit on the woman next to her, she turned to thank her. “Thank you,” she managed with a croak, only to stop and stare in awe at the person next to her.

_Jesus. Christ._

The _being_ beside her was nothing short of stunning. Clothed in a low-cut, snakeskin blouse that only did fantastic things for her cleavage, the young woman’s high-waisted black shorts accentuated long legs that stretched down to towering black pumps. Glancing up, Ever couldn’t tell what color the eyes boring into her were, something dark perhaps, but the way her long, dark hair framed her high cheekbones and straight nose only solidified the fact she’s a knockout.

The woman pursed her full lips, decidedly done with being stared at. “You’re welcome. Now tell me, what the _fuck_ are you doing here and how were _you_ captured”?

"….Uhhhhh, I was minding my own business, and uh, some guy came up behind me and drugged me.”

The woman was unimpressed. “I know you’re a pirate, _Ever_. That’s your name, right? Or do you go by something else when you’re not hanging out with a bunch of murderers and rapists”?

“I—”

“Forget it,” she said with a huff and slipped something into the keyhole of the rusty manacle on her left wrist. “If you’re here, that means the rest of your crew is nearby, and now my rescue plan is totally fucked up. Guess I’ll have to go kick Dick and Dickwad’s asses now.”

Ever was utterly baffled by the fuming woman next to her. Her vapid party-girl look is entirely at odds with the aggressive, independent woman ready to throw hands with their kidnappers.

“Wait, wait, wait, _wait_ ,” Ever hissed, checking on the man who had just leaned back. "What are you going to fight them with? Your shoe"? Which if that was going to be the case, she called the other one.

“I’d rather not,” the woman grumbled distractedly, fiddling with the manacle, "They keep—"

She gasped when Ever slammed her hand down on her fingers and deftly slid the bobby pin under her butt. “What’s going on here,” asked a low voice above them.

Ever innocently picked up the woman’s arm, her sun-kissed tan made apparent in the warm lantern light and gently lifted the bloody manacle. "Can't you get her something to put under this," she asked, peering at the scraped skin underneath. "It's hurting her."

The stout man, definitely not the one who had drugged her, snorted. “Keep dreamin’, bitch. As long as you show up with all your limbs attached, our client doesn’t care what shape you’re in. Now,” he leaned in close, close enough that Ever choked on his fish breath, “if you keep picking at that, I’m going to start picking at you.” His craggy smile was oily, and every hair on the back of Ever’s neck stood at attention as he looked her over before turning and walking away.

When he finally sat after inspecting the other girls, Ever let out a long breath. That was close, but she learned two things from their encounter. One, these men won’t kill her if they can help it. Two, they must be the sex-traffickers she was hoping to kick in the balls. _Score!_

“Thank you,” the woman whispered, “I didn’t even hear him.”

“It’s no problem,” Ever replied, but her gaze never left the long, greasy locks of the man who had just threatened them. How many women has he threatened, _touched_? “Let’s kick their asses.”

“Absolutely,” and with that, the woman discretely wiggled the bobby pin back into the manacle. “My name’s Charlotte, by the way. Thought you’d like to know so you can stop calling me ‘Bitch’ in your brain.”

The manacle _clicked_ and Ever smiled in the dark as two hands wrestled with her shackle, "Give yourself some credit. Your title is 'Boss Bitch’.”

Ever could almost hear Charlotte’s silent laughter as the manacle fell away, and the woman pointed towards a gleaming, black case and dirty looking rag no less than three strides from them. “That’s what they used to drug you. In the case are injections of the stuff. That one,” she pointed to a wiry man who had to be Nasal-voice, “will probably have to go take a whiz soon. We’ll hit them when they’re separated.”

Ever agreed, and so began the waiting game. Thankfully, the silence helped ease the pounding of her god-awful headache, and by the time Nasal-voice left the room, the pain was manageable. "Let's go," Charlotte mouthed, and in the exact same way Killer taught her all those months ago, the woman rose and silently stalked across the stone floor, in _heels_ no less.

Ever eyed the women still imprisoned, raised a finger to her lips when one whimpered, and prowled after the OG Boss Bitch herself. If they played this right, all of them would be out of here in no time.

The case was open now, and Charlotte handed her two new shots and a dirty rag. Being it first come, first serve, Charlotte had snatched up what looked like a taser and her own injections. Catching Ever’s attention, Charlotte jerked her thumb in Greasy-hair's direction and dragged it across her throat, sporting a bloody grin. Ever couldn’t help but repeat the motion back. That man is going _down_. 

It should have been harder, the decision to potentially murder someone in cold blood. Truth is, it wasn't. Both women approached him from behind, and when Ever smothered the man’s pained grunts with the rag as she plunged the needle into his neck, Charlotte came in right behind her and tased the absolute shit out of him. _One down, one to go._

When Nasal-voice returned, he predictably panicked and stumbled over to the downed man without checking his surroundings. Unfortunately for him, he didn't spot the blood-thirsty women waiting in the shadows and was taken out just as efficiently as his partner.

Once he stopped moving, Charlotte and Ever shackled the sex-traffickers together and rushed over to free the other women. 

“You’re brave to rummage through his pants,” Ever called to Charlotte, who was busy trying to find the correct key on Greasy-hair’s extensive key ring. 

“Eh, I’ve been in worse.”

Ever, and the tear-streaked blonde before her stared in confusion at the back of Charlotte’s now apparent wine-red hair. "But you look like that," Ever gestured at her.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders, but it didn't stop her from flipping a lock of hair over one, “I know, but he had something I wanted... And no, it wasn’t his dick.” 

The blonde hiccuped through her laugh but pointed worryingly at an unconscious girl chained alone to a metal stake. “You need to check on her. She was brought in before you, and she still hasn’t woken up.”

Ever bustled over, Charlotte on her heels, and the pair inspected her. She was tiny, no older than sixteen, and she panted in short, uneven spurts.

“Shit, they probably gave her too high of a dose," Charlotte growled when she checked the girl's pulse. "We need to get them out of here and fast."

Ever nodded her agreement and made the girl as comfortable as possible while Charlotte continued to flip through the key ring. The woman closest to them let out a choked sob, “She’s going to die, isn’t she? We’re all going to die.”

“We are _not_ going to die,” Charlotte snarled down at her fingers as another key refused to turn, “My friends will be here soon. They have medicine that can help.” 

Ever cocked her head at that, "Friends? You never mentioned someone was looking for us"? _That doesn’t make sense. Kid, the crew, and the Fangs are the only ones on the island. We scouted twice!_

Charlotte tried another key, cursing under her breath when it didn’t work. “I didn’t want to give everyone false hope and have those shit stains know something was up. They would have taken us hostage if they knew they were being hunted.”

Something tugged at Ever’s memory from earlier. Before she was drugged, when she pushed Ryder out of the way of a navy—

 _OH FUCK!_

The lightbulb finally switched on. The marines that had swung at Luther, tried to skewer Ryder, and been tackled by Dez. _Charlotte’s_ friends!

 _“I know you’re a pirate, Ever._

Shit. Ever had to get out of here before the marines showed up. Before ~~Charlotte~~ Secret Agent-Boss Bitch knows that she knows. They would capture her for sure. String her up in a rundown cell and torture her for information. Her screams will ricochet off the old, stone walls, but no one will ever hear her. She’d be trapped in some forgotten hole of a prison, her tormenters breaking her day after day, after day—

"I got it," Charlotte cried victoriously and popped open the locks on the girl's wrists. “Check her over and make sure she’s alright,” she said to Ever, before moving swiftly to the sobbing woman from earlier.

Ever nodded dumbly and shifted the girl out of her lap. _Have to get out. Have to get out. Have to get out._

She flinched when Charlotte gently snagged her sleeve. “Are you alright,” she asked with genuine concern in her eyes. 

_I have to get out NOW!_

Before Charlotte could shout in alarm, Ever popped the top off one of the redhead's forgotten injections and slammed it into the woman’s arm. 

Charlotte yelped and shoved her away, but it was too late. She had already sunk to her knees, falling forward in a useless attempt to stop Ever’s retreating form. Her eyes, a gleaming cognac in the lantern light, widened in shock and anger, and finally closed as the drug dragged her under. 

Ever's head pounded as the women screamed around her, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing Charlotte's taser and bolting down the dark tunnel, chasing the luminescent moss and the trickling stream beside her. She didn't ponder her guilt, couldn't. Not with Charlotte collapsed in a heap on the floor, her wine-red hair pooling around her like spilled blood. Not with that poor girl clinging to survival, barely holding on. 

She would break if she thought about them. If she allowed herself to remember that she _chose_ to leave her fellow captives behind. Exposed, unconscious, ripe for the taking if any sick fuck were to come along. 

_This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong._

Tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed when she slipped on the slick path and slammed down on her hands and knees. Sniffling, she got up and kept running, dragging a bleeding hand through the soft fungi on the wall to find her way through the dark. 

She would never forgive herself if something happened to them. If someone took the opportunity…

 _No!_ She skidded around a sharp corner and followed the now steady stream of water. The navy is coming. They’ll watch over them and get them somewhere safe. Far away from Buck and his goons on the other side of the island, without a doubt relishing in the sick delight of torturing Fang members weaker than themselves. 

A bone-chilling shriek echoed down the tunnel behind her and Ever broke into a flat out sprint. _SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!_

At best, It's the navy, a being she can reason with. If it’s something that lives in the tunnels…. She’s fucking screwed. 

She flew down another tunnel, the sound of running water doing nothing to muffle the frantic clicks and growls behind her. _Faster, faster, run faster, dammit!_

The moss under her fingers vibrated as something slammed into the wall behind her, its claws briefly scrabbling on stone. Silence followed, only for the loudest shriek yet to echo around her as the creature undoubtedly found the blood-soaked moss leading a trail straight for her.

_RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN—_

The glow from the moss was fading, but the water was rushing past her now. She had to be close to the surface—

Pounding footsteps overshadowed her own, and her desperate scream was cut short when something drove her face-first into the wall. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER," a monster roared behind her, “TELL ME”!

Ever sobbed into the rock with rattling breaths. Her nose was leaking blood like a faucet, and the clawed hand crushing the back of her neck pricked her skin as she thrashed for air. Wild with fear, she threw an elbow back to shake off her attacker, only to howl in blinding pain when it connected with steel. 

She screamed again when clawed fingers wrenched her injured arm behind her to slap a handcuff on her wrist. “TELL ME,” it demanded, “OR I’LL RIP YOU APART LIKE YOUR CAPTAIN DID MY MEN! WHAT. DID. YOU. D—”

The monster jerked back from her, and Ever silently thanked herself for grabbing Charlotte’s taser as it collapsed in a twitching mess to the floor. Scrambling over its long, clawed fingers, she avoided the monster’s glowing yellow eyes and stuttered hisses as she stumbled down the tunnel towards freedom. She never looked back, and when the comfort of watery sunlight warmed her as she stumbled onto a hidden beach, she sobbed in relief when she spotted the Punk’s sails nearby.

That night, after Lou finished griping at her about her broken elbow and battered nose, and Ryder ceased his unending apologies for losing her, Ever curled up against Killer in bed to whisper all the terrible things she’d done that day. He listened without interjection, and when her breath hitched one final time, she told him about the monster in the dark. What it had screamed at her in desperation, rage. _I’LL RIP YOU APART LIKE YOUR CAPTAIN DID MY MEN!_

“Something’s out there, Killer,” she murmured into his chest, “and it’s not our friend.”

The arm curled around her dragged her impossibly close, “No one’s really our friend, Ever, but I think you’re right.” 

He eyed the blood-soaked scrap of fabric on his desk. The crew’s new scout had been reduced to ribbons of meat and thread by the time they’d finally found him.

“This one’s going to be trouble.”

~~

BONUS

_Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap_

“Stoppppp,” Charlotte groaned into her pillow, barely conscious yet knowing full well who was behind that god awful noise. 

The frenzied tapping stopped, and Charlotte sought out sleep again, anything to escape the icepick splitting her brain, only for the noise to start up again.

“Fuck, sto- _Oh god,_ I’m gonna be sick,” and with a swiftness she didn’t know she possessed, she sat up and promptly hurled into the bucket conveniently placed in front of her.

She retched until she dry heaved, and only when the world stopped spinning, and her stomach cramped did she lean back into her pillow. Her ragged breaths muffled his incessant tapping, but not for long. Cracking open an eye, she sought out the man across the low-lit room. “Nox, chill.”

His chair creaked as he shifted, but the man did not chill. If anything, his finger sped up. “Are you alright,” he asked in a hoarse voice, as if he’d been screaming. 

“I will be,” she breathed out, doing her best to ignore the piercing sound— _Fuck!_

She bent over the bucket again and heaved until she choked on her own spit. "Goddammit," she wiped the remaining drool away from her mouth. “We need to find where they’re making this crap—”

There was a splash of liquid, and Charlotte realized she hadn’t been the only one vomiting this entire time. “Nox,” she searched for him in the dark, “What happened? Are you alright”?

He swore and presumably spat something into his bucket. "Don't worry about it," he grumbled, "I'm just getting something out of my system."

Oh. He must have eaten somebody again. _Nasty_.

“… Do you want to talk about it”?

“No.”

Fine. He didn’t have to talk about that, but they did have to talk about something else.

“Nox, I’m sor—”

“Don’t apologize,” he said, and conveniently bent over his bucket to heave again. Guess that’s one way to avoid a conversation. 

When his breathing evened out, she prodded some more. “… Did you catch her”?

Metal crumpled, and Charlotte hoped it was only the rim of his bucket he’d just folded like aluminum. “No.”

Damn. 

White light flooded the room, and the pair groaned in discomfort as Doc shut the infirmary door behind her. “Oh hush, you two. You’d think I’m here to torture you.”

Nox mumbled what sounded suspiciously like ‘but you are’ into his lap, and Doc smacked him upside the head as she passed. “I heard that.” 

Helpless before the tiny woman, Charlotte could do nothing but lay there as Doc checked her vitals, switched out the bandages on her wrists, and in an intentionally loud voice, scolded her for not drinking enough water. “I’m here day after day, slaving away over everyone on this damn boat—”

“Ship—”

"Shut it, boy. I know what I know. And here you are, ignoring my sound advice in favor of your own. Did you train under one of the best surgeons in the navy? Or explore uninhabitable islands to search for rare ingredients? I bet you don’t even test out new poisons on yourself. Bunch of dumb children running around—”

Charlotte didn’t dare interrupt the old woman’s rant. Even when she leaned over and stuck her with an IV of _oh thank fuck pain meds_. 

"And you,"!

Doc rounded on Nox and shouted at him when she noticed his broken bucket. “For Christ’s sake,” she cleaned it out and set it down on the table next to him. “Here,” she shoved a bag of something into his lap and Nox wheezed. “For the boys,” she chuckled, before sauntering out of the room like she hadn’t just further traumatized them from seeking out any future medical treatment. At least the women they had rescued only had to survive her inspections for a few more days.

Safe from Doc, for now, and maybe a little high on pain meds, Charlotte snuggled back into her pillow and threw a hand over her eyes. “Turn the light off, Nox.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Turn the _fucking_ light off.”

“No. You do it.”

She threw her hand down at her side and glared at him for the first time today. "Seriously, dude? The switch is right there," she pointed to a spot on the wall right next to him.

The commodore’s lips were set in a stubborn pout when he snipped back, “And? You have legs, use them.”

“You use yours! With those big, old, floppy feet, it’s a single step!”

"I can't, alright! Happy now,"?

“…What”?

He hissed through clenched teeth but refused to meet her gaze. "I'm… indisposed at the moment."

Charlotte cocked a brow in disbelief, but managed to stumble out of bed towards him, dragging her IV behind her. "Indisposed? What kind of bullshit do you mean by that"?

Nox’s tan face paled again, and when he reached over to grab the bucket Doc had purposefully placed just out of his reach, Charlotte noticed the bag of ice perched directly on his crotch. "Is this some kind of self-punishment for thinking Ever’s hot, or did she kick you in the balls,” she snickered. 

The man’s laugh echoed harshly inside the bucket, and he wiped the vomit off his mouth before looking up. "Worse. She tased me."

Charlotte blinked, looked down at the melting bag of ice, and proceeded to laugh her ass off. 

“It’s not funny,” Nox hissed, readjusting the bag of ice over his black workout shorts. 

"She tased you in the fucking balls,” Charlotte cackled over his whining.

“Stop it,” Nox lurched forward to grab her, and groaned at the pressure on his waist.

Charlotte howled. "Oh my god! Doc said _for the boys_ ,” she gasped out, slapping a hand on her thigh like an out-of-touch sea lion. 

“I hate you,” Nox seethed, but the edge in his voice melted away when she laughed harder. “I really fucking hate you.”

Charlotte wiped away a stray tear and smiled down at his blazing golden eyes. "Cheer up, Bud," she leaned over him and switched the light off, “Someone will love you one of these days, toasted balls and all."

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I hope everyone is doing well and living the dream as best as they can in these weird times.


End file.
